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Hang gliding over Rio; listening to birds singing; and gazing across wind-swept prairies are all experiences that jazz composer and big band leader Maria Schneider turns into music with her 18-member band, the Maria Schneider Orchestra. Its signature sound — sensuous and swinging orchestral works that combine oceanic swells of harmony with lyrical solos — often conjure the landscapes and memories of her small, rural hometown, Windom, Minn.